Canadian courts ordering search engines to censor search results

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Published on Wednesday, 28 September 2016 13:45
Written by editor

I wanted to get in touch with you and share some important news that will break today about OpenMedia.

OpenMedia will be intervening at the Supreme Court of Canada to prevent global censorship of search results. This is an unprecedented leap forward for our work — it will fundamentally shape free expression online and your right to access information around the world.

We only have one shot at this, and the deadline is coming up fast. We need to ensure we have the resources to make the strongest case possible.

Will you contribute now so we can Defend Your Right to Free Expression at the Supreme Court?

The Details: The Supreme Court will be considering an appeal to a decision1 made last year by the British Columbia Court of Appeal in Equustek Solutions Inc. -v- Jack that required removal of global search results.

The stakes are high:

  • We could see Canadian courts ordering search engines to censor search results around the world, blocking us from being able to find the information we need. It could lead to a domino effect, where governments around the world can justify censorship of search results by pointing to the precedent set in Canada.
  • The Supreme Court can, with a single judgement, combat online censorship and protect your freedom of expression, or it can open the floodgates to increasing censorship on the Internet.

Will you be a foundational supporter on the first day of this campaign?

Your contribution will ensure we have the support we need to make the strongest case possible, making sure your right to free expression online is protected.

Please donate now to ensure the concerns of Internet users around the world are represented in this historic case.

Thank you for all your support.

Alana Schultz,
Director of Fund Development — OpenMedia

P.S. Want to learn more? Check out our resource page here.

Footnotes:

[1] B.C. Court of Appeal Upholds Global Deletion Order Against Google. Source: Michael Geist.ca

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